A book by Lila Perl and Marion Blumenthal Lazan. Four Perfect Pebbles, A Holocaust Story. New York: Scholastic Inc. 1996. 114 pages. 9 chapters. Ages 5th – 8th graders. Genre: History Books Language: English.
In Four Perfect Pebbles, Marion Blumenthal Lazan recalls the devastating years that she lived under the ruling of Hitler. Marion writes about their struggle for freedom, lives in refugee and prison cramps. Their story is of courage and hope. Marion did not learn the English language till the age of thirteen when her family moved to Peoria, IL and was placed in fourth grade. Marion first began speaking about her experience in the Holocaust in 1979; she would speak at schools, conferences, and mostly large groups. It wasn’t until 1993 that she was asked to write about her experiences in a book. Four Perfect Pebbles has won the IRA Young Adult’s Choice and is available in English, Dutch, German and Japanese language.
Four Perfect Pebbles is a great book for 5th – 8th graders to read because the story is very educational and inspiring. This is one of my favorite books to read when the class is learning about the holocaust. Marion really gives a lot of details of how they lived everyday and how those 6 years under the Nazi era shaped her life. The characters in the story are real and her descriptions of them help the reader feel the emotions and fear the characters felt at the time. The words are very simple and the book is easy for everyone to read.
In this very colorful picture book, Cruise celebrates parental love. The art complements the text beautifully. Art is bold, colorful, and mixture of patterns and textures. It also shows several ethnic groups. Robin Cruise has written several acclaimed picture books and middle grade novels as well as numerous elementary texts, both fiction and nonfiction. Robin currently lives in San Diego, CA and when it comes to writing her three children, now young adults inspire her. Only You has won the following awards: Highly Commended, Charlotte Zolotow Award and A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book.
Only You is one of my favorite picture books because it is so colorful and any adult who loves a child can relate to this book. I enjoy reading it to my kindergarten class and my four year old. The simple text makes it easy for the children to remember and follow along. In simple, rhyming text, the narrator (in some pictures, a mom; in others, a dad) notes everything lovable about the child: a nose, a kiss, and a small hand to hold. Although this may mean more to the adult reading than to the child listening, both will feel the closeness the book produces. The book is excellent for showing how even though we all might be of different cultures, the love for our children is still the same. It’s a great book for a bilingual room because it pictures various ethnic groups.
Reviewed by: Gabriela Flores
5/23/08
Shannon, David. No, David! New York: Blue Sky Press, 1998. 32 pages. Ages 3 – 6. Genre: Picture Book. Language: English.
No, David! Has a concept we all can relate to: kids spend a lot of time hearing the word no - usually for very good reasons. In No, David! We follow David's adventures in badness, and everyone, kids and adults alike, can relate. David Shannon was only five years old when he wrote and illustrated his first book No, David! David now living in Los Angeles, CA is known as a great author and illustrator for many highly praised children books. His illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, and Rolling Stone. No, David! Has won the following awards: 1999 Caldecott Honor Book, New York Times Best Illustrated Book, School Library Journal Best Book and American Bookseller Pick of the Lists.
No, David! Is one of the best children’s book ever. Its colorful illustration and very simple text makes it a favorite for teachers and students. This is a great book for reading aloud. It's especially fun to read to a group of kids - the actions usually take on a confessional tone, with kids sincerely noting, "I do that," "My brother does that all the time," or “I am always told, NO.” Students really can relate to the story because it is full of the word no!! And pictures of David doing things he was not supposed to. This is such a great book to have in the classroom and home, especially if you have little children.
Like many of Shel Silverstein books, Runny Babbit is in black and white but still its illustrations are fantastic. All the poems are silly and Runny Babbit has trouble speaking at times so he sometimes mixes up words and pronounces them back words. Shel Silverstein was born in Chicago (yooo—hooo) in 1930 and was truly a unique artist. He was a renowned poet, playwright, illustrator, screenwriter, and songwriter. Silverstein was nominated for an Academy Award in 1991 and won Grammy award for best children’s album. Runny Babbit was 20 years in the making and was published after Silverstein death in 2005.
I truly am a Shel Silverstein fan. I have collected few of his books such as Falling Up, A light in the Attic, Giving Tree, and Where The Sidewalk Ends. I think he is a great poetry writer, if not the best. I think his books are excellent to have in classrooms. Even though the recommended ages are 9-12, I have read the book to first graders and my four-year-old son and they have enjoyed it because of the silly poems. I have also used it with higher-level thinkers (4th grade) to try to see if they can unscramble words that are backwards. The poems are great and the illustrations give readers clues. Characters such as Toe Jurtle, Wormy Squirm, Snerry Jake, and Millie Woose all make the poems more full of life and enjoyable even for adults to read.
Reviewed by : Gabriela Flores 5/26/08
Cannon, Janell. Stellaluna. New York: Scholastic Inc. 1993. 46 pages. Ages 4- 8. Genre: Picture Story Book. Language: English.
Stellaluna is well written and gorgeously illustrated. Janell Cannon is known for educated children on animals through his stories. Stellaluna is a baby fruit bat that is knocked from her mother’s grasp and is taken in by a family of birds who raises her like a bird despite her physical differences. Janell Cannon is self-taught artist and writer has always admired animals that have been misunderstood or neglected.
Stellaluna is a great book for children because of its message. Stellaluna was accepted as a family member of birds and she behaved like them even though nature makes them realize how different Stellaluna is from the other birds. Ultimately friendship proves to be the strongest force of nature. This is something students should be taught: It doesn’t matter if you’re different. Everyone can still be friends and be accepted as unique individuals. I believe every child and adult can relate to this story because they might of experienced trying to fit in and wanting to feel accepted by a group of friends. I also like that Janell Cannon chooses unique animals such as bats, komodo dragons, crickets, animals that usually kids would be afraid of. He makes these characters sweet and at the end of the book he puts facts about the animal and its habitat.
Reviewed by: Gabriela Flores 5/28/08
Phillips, Joan. My New Boy. New York: Random House. 1986. 32 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Picture Book. Language: English.
Joan Phillips book, My New Boy is a colorful, joyful story of a puppy that finds a boy and tells about his life with his new friend. Joan Phillips does an excellent job creating this book with very large type and extremely simple vocabulary, which, is great for the very youngest readers. Joan Phillips is also the author to Tiger Is a Scaredy Cat, a step 2 book, which is more difficult. Joan Phillips created a serious of books called Step Into Reading. With four levels of reading, designed to help children become good and interested readers.
I really like this book because it is designed to help very young readers learn to read faster. Book has very large bold text and illustrations fit the text perfectly. Kindergarten kids really enjoy this story because every child at one point want a puppy and this story shows how the puppy feels about his new owner and how they enjoy to be together. Some children might have puppies and they can relate and see how their relationship might be similar or different. Step Into Reading is a fabulous idea and necessary books to have in the classroom. Every child reads at a different level, some move through all four levels very rapidly; others climb the steps slower or over a period of several years.
Reviewed by: Gabriela Flores
5/29/08
Most, Bernard. The Cow That Went OINK. Florida: Voyager Books. 2003. 40 pages. Ages: 3-5. Genre: Picture Book. Language: English.
The Cow That Went OINK, is beautifully illustrated with vibrant colors. The book is full of very simple text and silly words that can make any child laugh. Bernard Most made a great book for bilingual children. Some else that is truly unique about this Author is that he is very persistence, his book The Cow That Went OINK, was rejected forty-two times before it was published. He never gave up hope. Most is now living in New York with his wife Amy and writes and illustrates children’s books full time and he loves it.
Bernard Most has a great way of getting his message across in a very simple way. A cow says, "oink" and is made fun of by other cows. He looks the same as the other cows but his language is different. Then comes a pig that says, "moo"; the other pigs make fun of him. The cow and pig end up together and teach their "language" to each other. The two truly become bilingual! A nice book to help children NOT make fun of those who speak a different language. They can truly learn from each other. This is really a good message for pre-school students to learn that even if their classmates speak a different language, they can learn from each other. I think it is a great book for early child hood teachers to read in their classroom.
Like many of Silverstein books, Falling Up is just another great addition to his collection of children’s books. Falling Up is full of large detailed illustrations, and best of all silly poems. Poetry to children can be boring but once they read Falling Up, their opinions change and realize that poetry can be fun. Shel Silverstein was born in Chicago (yooo—hooo) in 1930 and was truly a unique artist. He was a renowned poet, playwright, illustrator, screenwriter, and songwriter. Silverstein was nominated for an Academy Award in 1991 and won Grammy award for best children’s album. Falling Up won the Editor’s Choice 1996 and Children’s Choices 1997.
This book by Shel Silverstein is very interesting because the poems inside are not just plain boring poems; they have a lot of thought put into them. His poems in this book are funny and they are tied in with the pictures. I think that Shel had a very wild and active imagination. His imagination is something that a teacher can share with the students. Students can use their imaginations to create unique interesting poems themselves. Shel’s poems help students realize that poems not always have to rhyme or make sense. The book has a lot of poems that you would have never thought about being in a poem book Falling Up is a good book also because the poems are goofy, and weird, yet he has a way to pull you into them in this poetry book.
Reviewed by: Gabriela Flores
6/01/08
Annotated Bibliography books 11-20...
1. Price, Lynn Hope. These Hands. New York: Jump At the Sun, 1999. 24 pages. Ages 3-7. Genre: Picture Book. Language: English.
Price did such a wonderful job creating These Hands. In less than 100 words this book is able to tell and show us all the great thinks we can do with our hands. The illustrations are bold and live collage art. Illustrations capture the loving relationship of family and the empowering hands of a young girl. Her hands can pray, clap, play, reach, and sow the seeds for a brighter day.
After hearing this book in my college class I fell in love with it. Its rhyming, simple text is easy for any young child to read and really feel a connection with the story. It is a great book to read in a pre-k or kindergarten room. I especially liked that after reading this book kids can create their own poem on what they can do with their hands and take more appreciation for simple everyday activities we take for granted.
Author of The Biggest Snowman Ever, The Biggest Pumpkin Ever, and The Biggest Valentine Ever, Kroll does an amazing job creating children books that promote teamwork. The two main characters are two little mousses Clayton and Desmond, each want to build the biggest snowman ever to win a contest but realize that it is a lot of hard work to build alone. They decide to join forces and build the biggest snowman ever. Kroll grew up in New York City and belong to a somewhat wealthy, stylish family. He was inspired from his neighborhood that was so diverse, ethnic stew. He has published 89 books, picture books, history books and young adult novels. He is currently living in Pennsylvania with his wife Kathleen Beckett and if his not visiting schools he is playing tennis.
My second graders really enjoyed this book because it was during winter and they were able to relate to the story since kids always want to play in the snow, especially build snowmen. The message of the story is also great because it encourages teamwork and it is very important for children at this age to be able to work well with others. Like the saying two minds together work better than one.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008
3. Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. New York: Puffin Books, 1997. 192 pages. Ages: teens.
Genre: young adults. Language: English.
Susan Eloise Hinton wrote such a male book despite being a woman. She wrote The Outsiders as a 16-year-old loner at a high school where almost everyone belonged to one group or another. She liked writing about boys because girls at that time did not do anything but worry about their hair and makeup. She also felt that books for teens lacked realism. The Outsiders was written to tell about her life in her hometown of Tulsa, where she was born and raised. She is a known author and many of her books have been made into movies, like Tex, Rumble Fish, and The Outsiders, with now famous actors like Matt Dillon and Tom Cruise.
Reading The Outsiders for the first time in 6th grade I immediately bought the book and rented the movie. I fell in love with the story of ponyboy and his greaser friends. This book I don’t believe is about gangs or violence instead about two different groups of boys raised in two different economic statuses. The greasers lived a tough life, poor, abusive, angry and unforgiving. They have little but stick together. The socs were wealthy, privilege, selfish and bullies. Ponyboy’s life gets tougher after two of his close friends die and he decides to write about his experiences. This is a good book for middle school students who face the problem of trying to fit in a social group to feel accepted. Text is simple and easy to read and after reading the book students can watch the movie, write about the character they felt a connection with or personal experiences.
Like Stellaluna, I truly enjoy Verdi. Cannon is a great author and illustrator. Verdi is vivid and colorful, with bold illustrations. Verdi is a young yellow python who never wants to age and become lazy or boring like older green pythons. When he notices that his skin is slowly turning green he tries to scrape it off. Janell Cannon likes to write about animals that people consider dangerous and transforms them to animals we end up loving after reading the story.
Verdi is a young yellow python who doesn't understand why the adult green pythons are such killjoys. According to him “lazy and boring.” He is playful and daring, until he hurts himself doing a stunt. The older pythons help nurse him back to health, while Verdi learns that once they too were young and rowdy like he was. Extremely readable and a message that is be yourself, enjoy life while you are young. I enjoy reading all of Cannon books because of all the messages the stories convey. I myself relate to a lot of the characters and children will do the same.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008
5. Alarcón, Francisco X. Jitomates Risueños y otros poemas de primavera. California: Children’s Book Press, 1997. Ages 4- 8. Genre: Poetry. Language: Spanish/English.
This book is filled with great poems, simple text, characters full of life, and page-to-page is full of bold colors, illustrations that make you feel part of the poems. Like chiles q explotan, la abuelita y sus canciones, y la tortilla que le aplaude al sol y las palabras que son pájaros are just a few phrases from the poems that are joyful. Francisco X. Alarcón is an award winning Chicano poet. He is the author of seven books of poetry and the co-author of several textbooks for Spanish speakers. He is also the Director of the Spanish for Native Speakers Program at University of California, Davis.
Poetry I think is a great way for children to learn to express their emotions and be able to fix a visual image in their mind. This book is great for bilingual teachers to have in their reading center because not only is in Spanish but also in English. The poems pay tribute to children working in the fields and taking pride in what they do. Poems in the book are short and simple. Illustrations help understand the poems so much better and my favorite poem is “Las Canciones de mi abuela”.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008
6. Anzaldua, Gloria. Prietita y La Llorona. California: Children’s Book Press, 1995. Ages 4-8. Pages: 32. Genre: Fiction: Folktale. Language: Spanish/English.
As soon as I saw this book and read the title I knew it would be a good book to read and I was not wrong. Prietita y La Llorona is about the Mexican story of La Llorona who is a ghost woman that weeps for her dead children that she drowned and lures children away from their families. This original folklore is meant to be scary, frightening, especially for children but in this book she is the total opposite. La Llorona in the story guides prietita to the right plant she needs to save her mother and out of the woods. Gloria Anzaldua was born in South Texas and grew up hearing the story of La Llorona from her grandma. She is now know as a major Chicana literary voice. Gloria currently lives in San Francisco, CA and is also author of Amigos del otro lado.
Who is not afraid of La Llorona? Like prietita, I grew up hearing about La Llorona and her story. I never thought there was another side to her but the frightening, dark woman everyone made her out to be. I think this book is great for children to have in their classroom, bilingual or not. The message at the end is that we can’t judge without knowing what is beneath the person. It is also like the saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” Children need to realize that they should be accepting to everything and everyone that is different. The illustrations in this book are beautiful and reminded me of my trips to Mexico.
Romeo and Juliet is the romantic story that every teenager which they had. The language is a bit difficult but addicting. Most influential writer of English literature, Shakespeare was born in 1564 in England. He was born into middle class and at the age of 22 married an older woman, whom he had three kids with. He was part owner of the Globe Theater and died in 1616 at the age of 52. He was the author of 37 plays and 154 sonnets.
Shakespeare’s plays are addicting and powerful. His plays have a lot to do with love, violence, betrayal, loyalty and power. Romeo and Juliet was the first Shakespeare play that I read in 6th grade and I remember wishing to have a Romeo who loved me the same. I think all of his plays are great for teens to read because they are real and powerful. Students have the opportunity to act out the play and can even change the play to be more about problems teens are
in today's world.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008
8. Dole, Mayra L. Cumpleaños en el Barrio. California: Children’s Book Press, 2004. 32 pages. Ages: 4-8. Genre: Multicultural literature. Language: Spanish/English.
Cumpleaños en el Barrio is by far the best book I read for this class. I enjoyed the story, simple text and vibrant water colored illustrations. Chavi is determined to make her buddy’s sister a quinceañera because their father loses his job and is not able to make a fancy party. Mayra L. Dole was born in Marianao, Cuba, raised in a Hialeah Florida Cuban barrio, and lived in New York, New Jersey, and Boston. Dole is the author and translator of two critically acclaimed bilingual children’s multicultural books, Drum, Chavi, Drum! Toca, Chavi, Toca! And Birthday in the Barrio, Cumpleaños en el Barrio. Her young adult novel “Down to the Bone” is set in Cuban Miami and will be published by Harper Collins in winter, 2008.
Cumpleaños en el Barrio is a story full of life and adventure. The story takes place in Miami, Cuban community. The book teaches students about the Latino culture and it is perfect for teachers to expand students’ knowledge of the traditions of other cultures. Chavi is a good example for students because she is determined, smart, and never gives up on getting her entire community together to give Lazarita a quinceañera that she will never forget. The message is that determination gets you far. This story will be relatable for all young Latina girls who celebrate this tradition, since we all grow up planning to have our quinceañera, our transition from being a little girl to a lady.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008
9. Frost, Robert. Complete Poems of Robert Frost. Henry Holt & Co, 1949. 666 pages. Ages: 8 -?? Language: English. Genre: Poetry.
Robert Frost, four time Pulitzer Prize winning American Poet wrote many popular and beautiful poems. His poems are beautiful and should be read in every classroom no matter what the age is. His most popular poems are “Mending Wall”, “The Road Not Taken”, and “Nothing Gold Can Stay”. Robert Lee Frost was born in 1874 in San Francisco to parents who were both teachers and exposed him to Shakespeare, Robert Burns at an early age. He had six children; two died along with his mother around the same year and inspired him to write “Mending Wall”. He died in 1963.
My first and second grade gifted students really enjoyed reading Robert Frost poems. They were read to and were encouraged to make a visual image in their little minds of what they thought Robert Frost was thinking when he wrote his poems. Their favorite poem was “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening”. Robert Frost poems should be read in every classroom, they are inspiring and educational. My first Robert Frost poem was “Nothing Gold Can Stay”, which I read in the book The Outsiders, and so many years later I still enjoy reading his poems.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008
10. Leeuwen, Jean Van. Nothing Here But Trees. Dial, 1998. 32 pages. Ages: 4-8. Genre: Historical Fiction. Language: English.
Nothing Here But Trees is about a family who leaves New York to establish a home in Ohio. When they arrive, all they see is an area covered with large trees. Easy text and earthy tone illustrations that fit well with the story makes this a must read in the classroom. Leeuwen was born and raised in New Jersey and was a bookworm since a young girl. When she was in sixth grade she already had read every book in her town’s library so she decided to write her own books. She also took in interest in American History, which led her to write historical fiction. With two children she now lives in New York, and teaches Writer’s Workshops for adults.
This book was one of the many books my gifted students enjoyed reading. The teacher I worked for read this book in a unique way by only reading a page a day and not showing any pictures till the end of the story. Her reason was so that they could make their own vision of the story. I really like that the story is told from the perspective of a young boy, makes it more relatable. He describes his new life as a pioneer, traveling, cutting down trees, dinners, living in a log cabin, wild animals, and the arrival of new neighbors. After reading the book we took a field trip to the Sand ridge Nature Center in Lansing, IL to have to students see an actual log cabin and really experience what a pioneer life was really about. It is important for students to read about American History, especially on how it was established.
Annotated Bibliography Group 1
A book by Lila Perl and Marion Blumenthal Lazan. Four Perfect Pebbles, A Holocaust Story. New York: Scholastic Inc. 1996. 114 pages. 9 chapters. Ages 5th – 8th graders. Genre: History Books Language: English.In Four Perfect Pebbles, Marion Blumenthal Lazan recalls the devastating years that she lived under the ruling of Hitler. Marion writes about their struggle for freedom, lives in refugee and prison cramps. Their story is of courage and hope. Marion did not learn the English language till the age of thirteen when her family moved to Peoria, IL and was placed in fourth grade. Marion first began speaking about her experience in the Holocaust in 1979; she would speak at schools, conferences, and mostly large groups. It wasn’t until 1993 that she was asked to write about her experiences in a book. Four Perfect Pebbles has won the IRA Young Adult’s Choice and is available in English, Dutch, German and Japanese language.
Four Perfect Pebbles is a great book for 5th – 8th graders to read because the story is very educational and inspiring. This is one of my favorite books to read when the class is learning about the holocaust. Marion really gives a lot of details of how they lived everyday and how those 6 years under the Nazi era shaped her life. The characters in the story are real and her descriptions of them help the reader feel the emotions and fear the characters felt at the time. The words are very simple and the book is easy for everyone to read.
Reviewed by: Gabriela Flores
5/21/08
Cruise, Robin. Only You. Florida: Harcourt Inc., 2007. 40 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Picture Book. Language: English.
In this very colorful picture book, Cruise celebrates parental love. The art complements the text beautifully. Art is bold, colorful, and mixture of patterns and textures. It also shows several ethnic groups. Robin Cruise has written several acclaimed picture books and middle grade novels as well as numerous elementary texts, both fiction and nonfiction. Robin currently lives in San Diego, CA and when it comes to writing her three children, now young adults inspire her. Only You has won the following awards: Highly Commended, Charlotte Zolotow Award and A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book.
Only You is one of my favorite picture books because it is so colorful and any adult who loves a child can relate to this book. I enjoy reading it to my kindergarten class and my four year old. The simple text makes it easy for the children to remember and follow along. In simple, rhyming text, the narrator (in some pictures, a mom; in others, a dad) notes everything lovable about the child: a nose, a kiss, and a small hand to hold. Although this may mean more to the adult reading than to the child listening, both will feel the closeness the book produces. The book is excellent for showing how even though we all might be of different cultures, the love for our children is still the same. It’s a great book for a bilingual room because it pictures various ethnic groups.
Reviewed by: Gabriela Flores
5/23/08
Shannon, David. No, David! New York: Blue Sky Press, 1998. 32 pages. Ages 3 – 6. Genre: Picture Book. Language: English.
No, David! Has a concept we all can relate to: kids spend a lot of time hearing the word no - usually for very good reasons. In No, David! We follow David's adventures in badness, and everyone, kids and adults alike, can relate. David Shannon was only five years old when he wrote and illustrated his first book No, David! David now living in Los Angeles, CA is known as a great author and illustrator for many highly praised children books. His illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, and Rolling Stone. No, David! Has won the following awards: 1999 Caldecott Honor Book, New York Times Best Illustrated Book, School Library Journal Best Book and American Bookseller Pick of the Lists.
No, David! Is one of the best children’s book ever. Its colorful illustration and very simple text makes it a favorite for teachers and students. This is a great book for reading aloud. It's especially fun to read to a group of kids - the actions usually take on a confessional tone, with kids sincerely noting, "I do that," "My brother does that all the time," or “I am always told, NO.” Students really can relate to the story because it is full of the word no!! And pictures of David doing things he was not supposed to. This is such a great book to have in the classroom and home, especially if you have little children.
Reviewed by: Gabriela Flores
5/25/08
Silverstein, Shel. Runny Babbit. Harper Collins 2005. 96 pages. Ages 9 – 12. Genre: Children Poetry. Language: Silly English.
Like many of Shel Silverstein books, Runny Babbit is in black and white but still its illustrations are fantastic. All the poems are silly and Runny Babbit has trouble speaking at times so he sometimes mixes up words and pronounces them back words. Shel Silverstein was born in Chicago (yooo—hooo) in 1930 and was truly a unique artist. He was a renowned poet, playwright, illustrator, screenwriter, and songwriter. Silverstein was nominated for an Academy Award in 1991 and won Grammy award for best children’s album. Runny Babbit was 20 years in the making and was published after Silverstein death in 2005.
I truly am a Shel Silverstein fan. I have collected few of his books such as Falling Up, A light in the Attic, Giving Tree, and Where The Sidewalk Ends. I think he is a great poetry writer, if not the best. I think his books are excellent to have in classrooms. Even though the recommended ages are 9-12, I have read the book to first graders and my four-year-old son and they have enjoyed it because of the silly poems. I have also used it with higher-level thinkers (4th grade) to try to see if they can unscramble words that are backwards. The poems are great and the illustrations give readers clues. Characters such as Toe Jurtle, Wormy Squirm, Snerry Jake, and Millie Woose all make the poems more full of life and enjoyable even for adults to read.
Reviewed by : Gabriela Flores 5/26/08
Cannon, Janell. Stellaluna. New York: Scholastic Inc. 1993. 46 pages. Ages 4- 8. Genre: Picture Story Book. Language: English.
Stellaluna is well written and gorgeously illustrated. Janell Cannon is known for educated children on animals through his stories. Stellaluna is a baby fruit bat that is knocked from her mother’s grasp and is taken in by a family of birds who raises her like a bird despite her physical differences. Janell Cannon is self-taught artist and writer has always admired animals that have been misunderstood or neglected.
Stellaluna is a great book for children because of its message. Stellaluna was accepted as a family member of birds and she behaved like them even though nature makes them realize how different Stellaluna is from the other birds. Ultimately friendship proves to be the strongest force of nature. This is something students should be taught: It doesn’t matter if you’re different. Everyone can still be friends and be accepted as unique individuals. I believe every child and adult can relate to this story because they might of experienced trying to fit in and wanting to feel accepted by a group of friends. I also like that Janell Cannon chooses unique animals such as bats, komodo dragons, crickets, animals that usually kids would be afraid of. He makes these characters sweet and at the end of the book he puts facts about the animal and its habitat.
Reviewed by: Gabriela Flores 5/28/08
Phillips, Joan. My New Boy. New York: Random House. 1986. 32 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Picture Book. Language: English.
Joan Phillips book, My New Boy is a colorful, joyful story of a puppy that finds a boy and tells about his life with his new friend. Joan Phillips does an excellent job creating this book with very large type and extremely simple vocabulary, which, is great for the very youngest readers. Joan Phillips is also the author to Tiger Is a Scaredy Cat, a step 2 book, which is more difficult. Joan Phillips created a serious of books called Step Into Reading. With four levels of reading, designed to help children become good and interested readers.
I really like this book because it is designed to help very young readers learn to read faster. Book has very large bold text and illustrations fit the text perfectly. Kindergarten kids really enjoy this story because every child at one point want a puppy and this story shows how the puppy feels about his new owner and how they enjoy to be together. Some children might have puppies and they can relate and see how their relationship might be similar or different. Step Into Reading is a fabulous idea and necessary books to have in the classroom. Every child reads at a different level, some move through all four levels very rapidly; others climb the steps slower or over a period of several years.
Reviewed by: Gabriela Flores
5/29/08
Most, Bernard. The Cow That Went OINK. Florida: Voyager Books. 2003. 40 pages. Ages: 3-5. Genre: Picture Book. Language: English.
The Cow That Went OINK, is beautifully illustrated with vibrant colors. The book is full of very simple text and silly words that can make any child laugh. Bernard Most made a great book for bilingual children. Some else that is truly unique about this Author is that he is very persistence, his book The Cow That Went OINK, was rejected forty-two times before it was published. He never gave up hope. Most is now living in New York with his wife Amy and writes and illustrates children’s books full time and he loves it.
Bernard Most has a great way of getting his message across in a very simple way. A cow says, "oink" and is made fun of by other cows. He looks the same as the other cows but his language is different. Then comes a pig that says, "moo"; the other pigs make fun of him. The cow and pig end up together and teach their "language" to each other. The two truly become bilingual! A nice book to help children NOT make fun of those who speak a different language. They can truly learn from each other. This is really a good message for pre-school students to learn that even if their classmates speak a different language, they can learn from each other. I think it is a great book for early child hood teachers to read in their classroom.
Reviewed by: Gabriela Flores
5/30/08
Silverstein, Shel. Falling Up. Harper Collins. 1996. 184 pages. Ages: 9- 12. Genre: Poetry. Language: English.
Like many of Silverstein books, Falling Up is just another great addition to his collection of children’s books. Falling Up is full of large detailed illustrations, and best of all silly poems. Poetry to children can be boring but once they read Falling Up, their opinions change and realize that poetry can be fun. Shel Silverstein was born in Chicago (yooo—hooo) in 1930 and was truly a unique artist. He was a renowned poet, playwright, illustrator, screenwriter, and songwriter. Silverstein was nominated for an Academy Award in 1991 and won Grammy award for best children’s album. Falling Up won the Editor’s Choice 1996 and Children’s Choices 1997.
This book by Shel Silverstein is very interesting because the poems inside are not just plain boring poems; they have a lot of thought put into them. His poems in this book are funny and they are tied in with the pictures. I think that Shel had a very wild and active imagination. His imagination is something that a teacher can share with the students. Students can use their imaginations to create unique interesting poems themselves. Shel’s poems help students realize that poems not always have to rhyme or make sense. The book has a lot of poems that you would have never thought about being in a poem book Falling Up is a good book also because the poems are goofy, and weird, yet he has a way to pull you into them in this poetry book.
Reviewed by: Gabriela Flores
6/01/08
Annotated Bibliography books 11-20...
1. Price, Lynn Hope. These Hands. New York: Jump At the Sun, 1999. 24 pages. Ages 3-7. Genre: Picture Book. Language: English.
Price did such a wonderful job creating These Hands. In less than 100 words this book is able to tell and show us all the great thinks we can do with our hands. The illustrations are bold and live collage art. Illustrations capture the loving relationship of family and the empowering hands of a young girl. Her hands can pray, clap, play, reach, and sow the seeds for a brighter day.
After hearing this book in my college class I fell in love with it. Its rhyming, simple text is easy for any young child to read and really feel a connection with the story. It is a great book to read in a pre-k or kindergarten room. I especially liked that after reading this book kids can create their own poem on what they can do with their hands and take more appreciation for simple everyday activities we take for granted.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008
2. Kroll, Steven. The Biggest Snowman Ever. Cartwheel, 2005. 32 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Picture Storybook. Language: English.
Author of The Biggest Snowman Ever, The Biggest Pumpkin Ever, and The Biggest Valentine Ever, Kroll does an amazing job creating children books that promote teamwork. The two main characters are two little mousses Clayton and Desmond, each want to build the biggest snowman ever to win a contest but realize that it is a lot of hard work to build alone. They decide to join forces and build the biggest snowman ever. Kroll grew up in New York City and belong to a somewhat wealthy, stylish family. He was inspired from his neighborhood that was so diverse, ethnic stew. He has published 89 books, picture books, history books and young adult novels. He is currently living in Pennsylvania with his wife Kathleen Beckett and if his not visiting schools he is playing tennis.
My second graders really enjoyed this book because it was during winter and they were able to relate to the story since kids always want to play in the snow, especially build snowmen. The message of the story is also great because it encourages teamwork and it is very important for children at this age to be able to work well with others. Like the saying two minds together work better than one.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008
3. Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. New York: Puffin Books, 1997. 192 pages. Ages: teens.
Genre: young adults. Language: English.
Susan Eloise Hinton wrote such a male book despite being a woman. She wrote The Outsiders as a 16-year-old loner at a high school where almost everyone belonged to one group or another. She liked writing about boys because girls at that time did not do anything but worry about their hair and makeup. She also felt that books for teens lacked realism. The Outsiders was written to tell about her life in her hometown of Tulsa, where she was born and raised. She is a known author and many of her books have been made into movies, like Tex, Rumble Fish, and The Outsiders, with now famous actors like Matt Dillon and Tom Cruise.
Reading The Outsiders for the first time in 6th grade I immediately bought the book and rented the movie. I fell in love with the story of ponyboy and his greaser friends. This book I don’t believe is about gangs or violence instead about two different groups of boys raised in two different economic statuses. The greasers lived a tough life, poor, abusive, angry and unforgiving. They have little but stick together. The socs were wealthy, privilege, selfish and bullies. Ponyboy’s life gets tougher after two of his close friends die and he decides to write about his experiences. This is a good book for middle school students who face the problem of trying to fit in a social group to feel accepted. Text is simple and easy to read and after reading the book students can watch the movie, write about the character they felt a connection with or personal experiences.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008
4. Cannon, Janell. Verdi. Florida: Harcourt, 1997. 56 pages. Ages: 4-8. Genre: Fiction. Language: English.
Like Stellaluna, I truly enjoy Verdi. Cannon is a great author and illustrator. Verdi is vivid and colorful, with bold illustrations. Verdi is a young yellow python who never wants to age and become lazy or boring like older green pythons. When he notices that his skin is slowly turning green he tries to scrape it off. Janell Cannon likes to write about animals that people consider dangerous and transforms them to animals we end up loving after reading the story.
Verdi is a young yellow python who doesn't understand why the adult green pythons are such killjoys. According to him “lazy and boring.” He is playful and daring, until he hurts himself doing a stunt. The older pythons help nurse him back to health, while Verdi learns that once they too were young and rowdy like he was. Extremely readable and a message that is be yourself, enjoy life while you are young. I enjoy reading all of Cannon books because of all the messages the stories convey. I myself relate to a lot of the characters and children will do the same.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008
5. Alarcón, Francisco X. Jitomates Risueños y otros poemas de primavera. California: Children’s Book Press, 1997. Ages 4- 8. Genre: Poetry. Language: Spanish/English.
This book is filled with great poems, simple text, characters full of life, and page-to-page is full of bold colors, illustrations that make you feel part of the poems. Like chiles q explotan, la abuelita y sus canciones, y la tortilla que le aplaude al sol y las palabras que son pájaros are just a few phrases from the poems that are joyful. Francisco X. Alarcón is an award winning Chicano poet. He is the author of seven books of poetry and the co-author of several textbooks for Spanish speakers. He is also the Director of the Spanish for Native Speakers Program at University of California, Davis.
Poetry I think is a great way for children to learn to express their emotions and be able to fix a visual image in their mind. This book is great for bilingual teachers to have in their reading center because not only is in Spanish but also in English. The poems pay tribute to children working in the fields and taking pride in what they do. Poems in the book are short and simple. Illustrations help understand the poems so much better and my favorite poem is “Las Canciones de mi abuela”.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008
6. Anzaldua, Gloria. Prietita y La Llorona. California: Children’s Book Press, 1995. Ages 4-8. Pages: 32. Genre: Fiction: Folktale. Language: Spanish/English.
As soon as I saw this book and read the title I knew it would be a good book to read and I was not wrong. Prietita y La Llorona is about the Mexican story of La Llorona who is a ghost woman that weeps for her dead children that she drowned and lures children away from their families. This original folklore is meant to be scary, frightening, especially for children but in this book she is the total opposite. La Llorona in the story guides prietita to the right plant she needs to save her mother and out of the woods. Gloria Anzaldua was born in South Texas and grew up hearing the story of La Llorona from her grandma. She is now know as a major Chicana literary voice. Gloria currently lives in San Francisco, CA and is also author of Amigos del otro lado.
Who is not afraid of La Llorona? Like prietita, I grew up hearing about La Llorona and her story. I never thought there was another side to her but the frightening, dark woman everyone made her out to be. I think this book is great for children to have in their classroom, bilingual or not. The message at the end is that we can’t judge without knowing what is beneath the person. It is also like the saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” Children need to realize that they should be accepting to everything and everyone that is different. The illustrations in this book are beautiful and reminded me of my trips to Mexico.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008
7. Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Dover Publications, 1993. 96 pages. Ages: 11- over. Genre: Fiction/Theater. Language: Difficult English.
Romeo and Juliet is the romantic story that every teenager which they had. The language is a bit difficult but addicting. Most influential writer of English literature, Shakespeare was born in 1564 in England. He was born into middle class and at the age of 22 married an older woman, whom he had three kids with. He was part owner of the Globe Theater and died in 1616 at the age of 52. He was the author of 37 plays and 154 sonnets.
Shakespeare’s plays are addicting and powerful. His plays have a lot to do with love, violence, betrayal, loyalty and power. Romeo and Juliet was the first Shakespeare play that I read in 6th grade and I remember wishing to have a Romeo who loved me the same. I think all of his plays are great for teens to read because they are real and powerful. Students have the opportunity to act out the play and can even change the play to be more about problems teens are
in today's world.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008
8. Dole, Mayra L. Cumpleaños en el Barrio. California: Children’s Book Press, 2004. 32 pages. Ages: 4-8. Genre: Multicultural literature. Language: Spanish/English.
Cumpleaños en el Barrio is by far the best book I read for this class. I enjoyed the story, simple text and vibrant water colored illustrations. Chavi is determined to make her buddy’s sister a quinceañera because their father loses his job and is not able to make a fancy party. Mayra L. Dole was born in Marianao, Cuba, raised in a Hialeah Florida Cuban barrio, and lived in New York, New Jersey, and Boston. Dole is the author and translator of two critically acclaimed bilingual children’s multicultural books, Drum, Chavi, Drum! Toca, Chavi, Toca! And Birthday in the Barrio, Cumpleaños en el Barrio. Her young adult novel “Down to the Bone” is set in Cuban Miami and will be published by Harper Collins in winter, 2008.
Cumpleaños en el Barrio is a story full of life and adventure. The story takes place in Miami, Cuban community. The book teaches students about the Latino culture and it is perfect for teachers to expand students’ knowledge of the traditions of other cultures. Chavi is a good example for students because she is determined, smart, and never gives up on getting her entire community together to give Lazarita a quinceañera that she will never forget. The message is that determination gets you far. This story will be relatable for all young Latina girls who celebrate this tradition, since we all grow up planning to have our quinceañera, our transition from being a little girl to a lady.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008
9. Frost, Robert. Complete Poems of Robert Frost. Henry Holt & Co, 1949. 666 pages. Ages: 8 -?? Language: English. Genre: Poetry.
Robert Frost, four time Pulitzer Prize winning American Poet wrote many popular and beautiful poems. His poems are beautiful and should be read in every classroom no matter what the age is. His most popular poems are “Mending Wall”, “The Road Not Taken”, and “Nothing Gold Can Stay”. Robert Lee Frost was born in 1874 in San Francisco to parents who were both teachers and exposed him to Shakespeare, Robert Burns at an early age. He had six children; two died along with his mother around the same year and inspired him to write “Mending Wall”. He died in 1963.
My first and second grade gifted students really enjoyed reading Robert Frost poems. They were read to and were encouraged to make a visual image in their little minds of what they thought Robert Frost was thinking when he wrote his poems. Their favorite poem was “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening”. Robert Frost poems should be read in every classroom, they are inspiring and educational. My first Robert Frost poem was “Nothing Gold Can Stay”, which I read in the book The Outsiders, and so many years later I still enjoy reading his poems.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008
10. Leeuwen, Jean Van. Nothing Here But Trees. Dial, 1998. 32 pages. Ages: 4-8. Genre: Historical Fiction. Language: English.
Nothing Here But Trees is about a family who leaves New York to establish a home in Ohio. When they arrive, all they see is an area covered with large trees. Easy text and earthy tone illustrations that fit well with the story makes this a must read in the classroom. Leeuwen was born and raised in New Jersey and was a bookworm since a young girl. When she was in sixth grade she already had read every book in her town’s library so she decided to write her own books. She also took in interest in American History, which led her to write historical fiction. With two children she now lives in New York, and teaches Writer’s Workshops for adults.
This book was one of the many books my gifted students enjoyed reading. The teacher I worked for read this book in a unique way by only reading a page a day and not showing any pictures till the end of the story. Her reason was so that they could make their own vision of the story. I really like that the story is told from the perspective of a young boy, makes it more relatable. He describes his new life as a pioneer, traveling, cutting down trees, dinners, living in a log cabin, wild animals, and the arrival of new neighbors. After reading the book we took a field trip to the Sand ridge Nature Center in Lansing, IL to have to students see an actual log cabin and really experience what a pioneer life was really about. It is important for students to read about American History, especially on how it was established.
Reviewed by Gabriela Flores June, 2008